The distinguished surname Leinardo can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Leinardo came from the Old German name Leonhard, which is composed of the elements lewo or lion and hardhu, which means strong, brave.

Leinardo Early Origins

The surname Leinardo was first found in the city of Novara. Records show that the Leonardi family was one of the noble families in Novara until 1370, when they moved to Milan.

Leinardo Spelling Variations

Leinardo Spelling Variations

There are many variations of most of those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. Some of these come from regional differences, like the tradition of ending northern names in "o" and southern names in "i". Others come from inaccuracies in the recording process, which were extremely common in the eras before dictionaries standardized spelling. Some of the spelling variations of Leinardo are Leonardis, Leonardi, Leonardo, Leonarda, Leinardi, Leinardo, Lonardi, Lonardo, Lunardi, Lunardo, Lenardi, Linardi, Linardo, De Leonardi, De Leonardis, Di Leonardi, Leonardelli, Leonardini, Leonarduzzi, Lunardelli, Lunardoni, Lunardon, Lenarduzzi, Lenardoni, Lenardon and many more.

Leinardo Early History

Leinardo Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leinardo research. More information is included under the topic Early Leinardo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leinardo Early Notables (pre 1700)

Leinardo Early Notables (pre 1700)

Prominent among bearers of this family in early times was Count Giangiacomo Leonardi, a military engineer born in Pesaro in 1490. He directed the construction of the walls of Senigallia and in 1553 erected fortifications at Rome. Camillo Leonardi was a doctor in Pesaro during the early 16th century who wrote...

Another 128 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leinardo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Leinardo Michele Leonardini, registered in Siskiyou county, California in 1891; Gillo Leonardo, who was Naturalized in Illinois in 1904; Rossi Leonardo, who was Naturalized in Oregon in 1911.

The Leinardo Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Leinardo Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.